Trust
by AzzieMusical
Summary: AU (well, sort of) Yami's wondering why Yugi won't take off his shirt... angst, child abuse. Hints at YXYY,BXR mebbe SXJ later on. Someone's hurting Ryou... who is it?
1. Default Chapter

Hey ^_^ This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic so feel free to criticise all you want, but any flames shall be used to set fire to my Media Studies teacher, "Coco Pop Bennett"

I'm using the English dub names because I've only seen the dub. And Disclaimer wise, I don't own Yugi, Yami or anyone from Yu-Gi-Oh. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing this. I'd be making an episode of it ^_^

I'm not sure if this is going to be a one shot or a continued one, it depends on the feedback I guess. So if you like it, please drop me a line and even if you don't, thanks for reading!

This is... sort of AU, but not to such an extent. Oh, and many apologies for the actually crap title. I couldn't think of what else to call it.

And Yami has his own body *shuts up now*

Thinking

/Yugi speaking to Yami/

//Yami speaking to Yugi//

Yugi could feel the sweat drip down his neck, and tugged at the neck of his t-shirt. It was one of the hottest days of the year, and he, Yami, Joey, Ryou, Tea and Tristan were at the beach, trying to keep cool. Tea was stretched out beside him in a red swimsuit, trying to get a tan. Joey and Tristan were in the water, Ryou had gone on a walk a few minutes ago and hadn't yet returned, and Yami was sat next to him, a hint of a smile on his usually stern face.

Yugi guessed that the heat reminded him of Egypt, Yami seemed to hate the cold. Although he never actually complained out loud, Yugi noticed that he seemed to shiver a lot more than anyone else and his skin seemed cooler to the touch. At least it was summer now.

He groaned as another drip of sweat rolled down his face and he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He could feel his skin burning , even when he was sat in the shade. Yami looked over at him at his movement, and smirked slightly. 

"I told you that you should take your shirt off" 

Yugi shook his head, smiling slightly. Yami sighed and leant back on his arms, still watching his aibou through narrowed eyes. Yugi's normally pale skin was flushed, especially his face. Yami's skin was used to heat this extreme, but Yugi's delicate skin wasn't. If he wasn't careful, he was going to burn.

//Aibou..// Yami began, smiling as Yugi jumped slightly, //Why don't you want to take your shirt off? It'll be cooler//

/......I just don't want to/

//.....Are you embarrassed?//

The blush on Yugi's face grew deeper and he cast his violet eyed gaze down at the ground. Yami couldn't help but smile at his actions. He knew that it wasn't exactly a good thing that he was too embarrassed to take off his shirt, but the way he acted about it was adorable. Yami never got embarrassed by anything, and Yugi's blushing had always fascinated him.

//You don't have to be shy in front of me, aibou//

Yugi looked up and back at his yami, his face still flushed. Yami smiled at him and sat back up, never breaking Yugi's gaze. He reached out and placed his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder.

"Come on. You're going to get sunburnt"

Slowly, Yugi shook his head, his gaze dropping back to the floor. Yami caught the glisten of unshed tears in his hikari's eyes and mentally kicked himself. Yugi could be so sensitive at times, and he always hated seeing him upset. It just wasn't Yugi.

".....c'mon aibou" he began, standing and brushing the sand from his bare legs, "Lets go for a walk. Maybe that will cool you down"

Yugi nodded silently and stood up, wiping the sudden tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He fell in step with his yami and they began to walk across the sand. They passed Ryou at one point, who too, was looking exceptionally flushed in the heat, but he only gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to them before passing by.

Yami glanced down at his hikari to see him looking back at the silent white haired boy, a thoughtful expression in his soft amethyst eyes.

"You don't think that-" he began softly, turning his head to meet Yami's gaze, "Bakura's bothering him again?"

Yami shrugged.

"I can't say. Ryou's mysterious enough at times, it's hard to see if something is bothering him" 

Touching his hikari's shoulder, they began walking again. Yami kept risking glances at his aibou, parting his lips to speak, then closing them again, unsure. Yugi walked on, oblivious to everything around him. 

Yami sighed, looking at Yugi again. It was obvious that something was bothering the smaller boy, his emotions were always displayed so clearly on his face or in his eyes. You could tell when he was happy or sad, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Yami took a deep breath. He would just have to risk upsetting his aibou.

"What's wrong, Yugi?"

"What?" Yugi replied, stopping. They'd walked a vast length of the beach, to a rocky area near the cliffs. Yami met his gaze squarely, his arms folded across his chest.

"Why won't you take off your shirt?"

"Yami... it's okay, really" Yugi began, blushing, "You don't need to make such a big deal out of it"

"Yugi, something's upsetting you. I can see those tears in your eyes"

Automatically Yugi reached up and touched his face, brushing away tears that had started to fall from his eyes. He shook his head, and turned his face away from his yami. 

"Yugi..." Yami whispered, reaching out and turning Yugi's face back towards him, "I didn't meant to make you cry...."

Yugi shook his head gently, gasping on his sobs as he tried to stop himself from crying. Yami instinctively reached out and pulled his hikari up against him, holding the smaller boy close to him. Yugi started to cry harder, burying his face into Yami's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry aibou... please, don't cry...."

After a while, Yugi gradually fell quiet. He slowly looked up at his yami with red rimmed eyes and he managed a faint smile. Yami returned the smile, and gently released his hikari.

"You can tell me anything, Yugi. You know that, don't you?"

Yugi nodded, before turning away. At first Yami thought that he was going to walk away, but instead he started to unbutton his shirt. After what seemed ages, Yugi finally undid it, and started to slide it off his shoulders, his shoulders tensing noticeably as he did. And, as the material fell away, Yami stopped himself from gasping out loud.

Yugi's back was covered in scars. Some very faint, barely visible at all while others were still red, and others white where they had permanently marked his skin. There were marks on the tops of his arms aswell. It looked like he had been whipped.

It took several minutes for Yami to recover his voice.

"Who did this to you?"

"... my father" Yugi replied, softly, "Please... don't tell anyone"

He shrugged his shirt back on, painfully, and turned to face Yami. There were even marks on his chest and stomach, and Yami could feel the anger build up inside of him. But the unshed tears shimmering in Yugi's eyes made him stop himself from saying anything.

Instead he stepped up to his hikari, and started buttoning his shirt again for him, giving him a rare, but warm smile. Yugi didn't say anything, but when Yami had finished, he wrapped his arms around him.

"He's dead now. He died years ago. I... just want to forget everything. Please.... help me Yami. I hate remembering this...."

"I won't mention this to anyone" Yami finally said, "I promise. But... keeping this to yourself wasn't really that wise. Have you told anyone else?"

Yugi shook his head slowly. 

"Not even your grandfather?"

"He loved my father. I can't tarnish his memories of him"

Yami smiled faintly.

"Always looking out for others, aren't you? C'mon, the other will be wondering where we are"

He took Yugi by the shoulders, and they started walking back towards the others. They could see a soaking wet Tea shouting at Joey, who was holding a bucket and looking sheepish. Behind him, Tristan was collapsing with laughter. Ryou was sat in the shade, watching the scene before him. Yugi looked up at Yami, grinning slightly.

"I guess that walk was a good thing" he began, "At least we didn't get wet...."

Yami smiled somewhat evilly, and before Yugi knew what was going on, he'd been scooped up in his arms. Realising his yami's intention, he cried out, and inbetween laughter tried to escape from his grip.

Yami, restraining Yugi with all his strength started walking down to the waters edge, smirking. He walked calmly into the water, not flinching as the coolness hit him, and walked out until the water was about waist high. Yugi stopped struggling, and wrapped his arms around Yami's neck, still laughing slightly. 

"C'mon Yami... please.."

"Promise me something first" Yami began gently, "If something ever bothers you again, even if it's in the middle of the night, I want you to tell me. I hate to see you in pain"

Slowly, Yugi nodded. 

"I promise. And... I'm sorry"

"There's no need to apologise. Just remember, I'm always here for you. And I always will be"

And then Yami dropped Yugi down into the water. Yugi screamed as the cold hit him and as Yami pulled him back out, he pushed against Yami's chest, knocking him backwards. As Yami fell, he pulled Yugi down on top of him and they both crashed into the water.

Seconds later they both surfaced, Yugi holding onto Yami's shoulders, laughing. Hearing Yami laugh made Yugi smile even more, his yami rarely laughed unless it was maniacal laughter in the middle of a duel.

"Yami...." he began, after he'd stopped laughing, "I'll always be here for you too. I know it's not much, but I hate seeing you in pain as well"

"Not much?" Yami repeated, pushing some of the dripping bangs out of Yugi's eyes, "It means everything to me"

And slowly, he carried his hikari back out of the sea.

****

The End... or not...?

That was a crappy place to leave it _ Well please R&R and thank you very much for reading! Tell me if I should continue it, and delve into Yugi's angsty past a little more.

Peace out!!


	2. Chapter Two

**AN/ Gahh It's been a long, long, long while, ne? I wasn't sure whether to continue or not, but with all the lovely reviews I got, I thought I'd give it a shot**

**This is a bit more Ryou centred, but still with it's Yami and Yugi goodness And apologies for the stupidly long wait.**

> Yugi had been crying, Ryou observed as Yugi and Yami came and sat down next to him. He hadn't noticed anything too unusual about Yugi's behaviour up until now, he seemed the same sweet and cheerful person that he usually was. Yet he was quieter than usual and sticking very close to Yami.

I wonder why he's been crying? Ryou thought distantly, handing the pair some towels _It's not like Yugi to get upset so easily._

Don't concern yourself over the Pharaoh's brat

Ryou jumped slightly. He could hear Bakura's cruel laugh as clearly as if the yami was right there, sat next to him. He glanced round behind him just to make sure that he wasn't there.

You didn't think you could leave me behind just like that, did you?Bakura added lowly, I'll be waiting for you

Ryou didn't bother to reply, he knew that it would just make his yami angrier. Although, he was going to be pretty pissed off no matter what he did. But Ryou was a peacemaker at heart and didn't wish to stir up any more trouble than necessary.

"Hey Ryou. You okay, man?"

Ryou looked up to see Joey stood in front of him. From his dripping wet hair, he guessed that Tea must of had her revenge. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"I'm fine thanks Joey" he replied politely, "Just a little tired, that's all"

"Hey, what's that on your arm?" Joey added, taking the seat next to him "A bruise?"

Ryou glanced down suddenly, his soft brown eyes widening slightly at the purple and blue mark that decorated his pale skin. He tugged at his shirt sleeve, pulling down to cover it.

"I must have done it when I fell out of the bed the other night" he explained, "Must have hit it harder than I thought"

Yami sat up a little straighter as he heard Ryou's reply. He'd noticed the mark earlier on, when he and Yugi passed Ryou walking along the beach, but hadn't said anything at the time, not wishing to upset Yugi more.

"Some fall"

"Not really. I just bruise easily" Ryou replied, feeling his cheeks heat up, "I see Tea got her revenge then?"

Joey sweatdropped, and glanced at where she and Tristan were paddling in the water. He laughed slightly.

"Ah well... I guess she did. I ended up tripin' over Tristan and fallin' in so technically she had no part in it. But then I guess embarrassin' myself was just a bonus for her so yeah... in the short of it, she got her revenge. But not for long"

"Got any ideas?"

"None as of yet. Hey, you could help me out, right? Tea's got Tristan on her side, so that's two against one. We could so take them!"

Ryou shrugged, looking down the beach as if he was looking for someone.

"I'm not really good at those kind of things" he replied apologetically, "Yugi would be a better choice"

At the mention of his name, Yugi looked up.

"Huh?"

"That's settled then! C'mon Yug, we've got revenge on the agenda!" Joey exclaimed, standing and grabbing Yugi's arm. Yugi exchanged an amused glance with his yami before he was dragged off. Yami smiled, glancing sideways at Ryou.

"What do you want to bet that Tea and Tristan still come out on top?" he asked as Joey and Yugi entered the water. Ryou shrugged, smiling.

"Those seem like good odds" he began, "Joey can be... sort of reckless at times"

They watched as Joey started saying something to Tristan, gesturing wildly. As Tristan lunged at him, Yugi and Tea stepped back slightly, watching as the other two started fighting.

"You looked a bit troubled earlier on" Yami said suddenly, his gaze fixated ahead of him, "Is everything okay?"

Here we go, interrogation timeBakura muttered, his tone harsh. Ryou mentally sighed.

"I'm alright thanks. Just thinking"

"About Bakura?"

I wondered when my name would come upRyou heard his yami mutter, You watch what you say, hikari

"....not really. Just... about stuff in general"

"Fair enough. Just checking"

Up ahead, Tristan was holding Joey under the water, who was flailing his limbs as he struggled to escape. Yugi was trying to pull Tristan off him, but wasn't really having much success. Ryou glanced up at Yami to see an unusual gentleness in his eyes as he watched Yugi. He felt a small pang of jealousy that was quickly undermined by his natural kindness.

Jealous? Of the _Pharaoh's brat?_ You are pathetic...

Ryou chose to ignore him, and started drifting off into his own thoughts. Bakura was pissed off, he could sense it. And to honest... he didn't really care.

Subconsciously he rubbed his bruised arm

* * *

> When they reached the city, it was starting to get dark. As Tristan, Tea and Joey set off in one direction, Ryou, Yami and Yugi went in the other. Yami was carrying Yugi, who was still sleeping. Ryou caught the tender look in Yami's eyes as he looked down at his aibou and felt the same small pang of jealousy deep inside of him.

The air was still warm as they walked down the deserted pavement towards the part of the city where they lived. A soft breeze kept ruffling Ryou's hair and caressing his skin but his eyes stayed determinedly ahead and his expression blank.

He won't... will he? I mean, Yami's with me now but what happens when he leaves? What if... he really hurts me this time?

Yami glanced over at the silent Ryou, surprised at the blank look on the gentle boy's face. He glanced down at the Millennium Ring that was concealed under Ryou's shirt, and then shifted his gaze to Ryou's arm, the bruise still visible in the fading light.

Ryou's lying he decided, _that bruise wasn't cause by a fall. It was caused by a fist. And I think I know who's fist...._

"I guess that I'll see you on Monday then"

Yami nodded, and turned to Ryou, a faint smile on his face.

"Okay" he began, when he noticed the look in Ryou's eyes, "... are you alright?"

Ryou nodded, smiling.

"I'm fine"

"If that's what you say you are...."

"I..."

"Bakura's waiting for you, isn't he?"

Ryou nodded slowly.

"He's mad at me" he sighed, "I better get going before he gets even madder. See you later"

Yami watched as Ryou's lithe figure moved down the street. He was walking a lot faster now, and kept glancing to either side of him. He was definitely nervous, Yami decided, maybe even scared. And all because of who was waiting at home for him.

> He was sat there, waiting for him. As soon as Ryou had entered the room, two narrowed eyes were fixated on him, gleaming in their anger. He only held his yami's gaze for a split second before turning away, and busying himself with the pile of bills on the table.

The next thing he knew Bakura was stood right next to him, shoulder to shoulder. He could feel his yami's breath against his skin and he shivered slightly, not daring to breath. It always startled him to have Bakura this close to him, even though he was slowly starting to get used to his eccentric ways.

Neither boy moved, Ryou's hands frozen in mid air. He closed his eyes, expecting an onslaught of abuse any moment. When none came, he opened his eyes to see Bakura looking down at Ryou's arm.

"Where did you get that bruise?" the yami asked, slight concern edging his harsh tone, "Who hurt my hikari?"

Ryou shivered, looking away from Bakura.

"N-no-one did. I fell out of bed the other morning...." he began, trailing off as he felt Bakura's piercing gaze on him.

Bakura snorted, and grabbed Ryou's wrist, holding his arm steady as he took a closer look at the bruise. Not that he'd ever admit it to him, but he was worried about his hikari. He had been for a while now.

"That was caused by a fist" he said simply, running his thumb over the mark, making Ryou shudder, "Still quite fresh... about.... three, four days old"

He grasped Ryou's chin, forcing the white haired boy to look at him. Ryou's eyes were shimmering with tears, but he didn't drop his gaze from Bakura's.

"Who did this to you?" Bakura repeated, his voice dangerously low, "Tell me and I'll make them wish that they were never born"

Ryou shook his head, wrenching himself away from his yami's hold. He turned away from him, his shoulders shaking as the tears slid down his face. Bakura watched for a while, before stepping behind him, and in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, wrapped his arms around his hikari's waist.

> "Are you sure?" Yugi asked doubtfully, watching as Yami paced up and down his room, "I mean, Bakura can be kind of... twisted, and evil at times, but I don't think he'd ever hurt Ryou"

He sighed, and drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself.

"But I'm still worried. Maybe I'll talk to Ryou at school...."

Yami stopped pacing, and looked down at him, a faint smile on his lips. Yugi's eyes were still red rimmed, and his cheeks still tear stained, and Yami felt a sudden urge of affection for his hikari.

Even when he's going through hell, he can still take the time and effort to help his friends he realised suddenly. He sat down next to Yugi on the bed, and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, pulling him against him.

"...how about you?" he asked softly, "How are you feeling?"

Yugi shrugged, leaning into his yami's warmth. He closed his eyes, some of the tension seeping away from him.

"....I'm okay" he replied quickly, not opening his eyes, "....Yami?"

"Hmm?" the spirit replied, his attention fully upon his hikari. Yugi opened his eyes, which were shimmering with tears once again.

"...if my dad came back... will you protect me from him?"

Yami nodded, his embrace tightening. He leant down close to Yugi's ear, brushing away a few strands of hair as he did.

"Don't ever doubt it" he whispered, "I'll protect you from anyone and anything, aibou. You just call me... and I'll come running"

**TBC?**


	3. Chapter Three

****

Ack, I'm sorry about both the lateness and the crappy formatting of chapter two. LJ completely messed up the slashes I was using to indicate Yami to Hikari talk, and I've just switched computers and sadly the disk I had this fanfic on was corrupted

--;. Still, at least I had it up here, ne?

"Hey Ryou! Wait up!"

Ryou glanced back to see Joey run up to him, grinning and out of breath. He also noticed, with some concern, the bruise on his face. Joey noticed him staring and dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"Ahh the usual punks" he replied, smirking, "Lets jus' say that they had more bruises than me"

Ryou remained quiet as they walked along the pavement, his hand brushing his bruised arm subconsciously under his school jacket. After a while, Joey noticed the albino's strange behaviour, and stopped mid rant about the fight that he'd got into the night before.

"What's wrong with your arm?"

Ryou froze, looking up at Joey wide eyed.

"N-nothing"

"Is that bruise still botherin' ya?" Joey added "Want me ta take a look at it?"

Ryou shook his head, a flush creeping across his face. He clutched at his arm tighter, almost protectively. The blonde noticed, and his expression softened slightly.

"Someone been layin' in you, Ryou?" he asked lowly, "Look, you can trust me. I'll go an' sort them out, don't ya worry"

Ryou shook his head again, feeling his stomach churn with nerves. He managed a faint smile, and dropped both arms back down to his sides.

"It's okay Joey" he replied quietly, "Forget about it. I don't want anyone to get hurt"

Joey snorted, stopping and grabbing Ryou by the shoulders. They were just a block away from the school now, and up ahead Ryou could just make out Yugi waving to them.

"There's no need ta worry 'bout me getting' hurt" Joey replied, "Look, if some jerk's givin' my friends a hard time, then it's up ta me to sort them out"

Ryou remained silent, dropping his gaze from Joey's. Frustrated, the taller boy grasped Ryou by the chin, forcing him to look back up at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yugi begin to make his way down towards them.

"Jus' tell me! I promise, I won't let them hurt ya again" Joey began quickly, before realisation dawned on him, "Wait it's not-"

"Hey guys!" Yugi chirped, walking up to them. They both turned to face him, Ryou blushing furiously and Joey looking slightly shocked. He grinned suddenly, reaching out and ruffling Yugi's hair.

"Heya Yug'!" he exclaimed brightly, "Ryou was jus' askin' bout the bruise on my face here. I was jus' impressin' him with the fight I got into last night"

Yugi's eyes widened as he shook his head, but he still had a small smile playing about his lips.

"Another fight? Joe, I'm starting to think you go out looking for them"

Joey smirked as they began walking towards the school, spotting Tristan waiting for them over by the entrance.

"What give ya that idea?" he replied, "Tris' chickened out again" he added, extra loudly so that the sound would carry over to the other boy. Tristan smirked, and walked up to meet them, grabbing Joey into a headlock.

"I was doing the homework that you should've been doing too" he replied, his smirk growing wider when he noticed the look of complete horror on Joey's face, "And you forgot again, didn't you?"

"Damnit!" Joey exclaimed, struggling to get out of Tristan's grip, "Lemme go I need ta go copy off someone!"

Smiling, Yugi slid a piece of paper out of his rucksack, and waited for Joey to untangle himself from Tristan before giving it to him. Joey's eyes widened, and he broke into a huge smile.

"Thanks Yug!" he exclaimed, before embracing the smaller boy, "I love ya man!"

Ready to run to the school library, he glanced back at Ryou, who was watching the scene with a small smile on his face. Joey met his gaze quickly, before turning and running into the school.

Shaking his head, Tristan went in after him, leaving Yugi and Ryou alone on the steps. Yugi turned to face his friend, concern in his eyes.

"Ryou? Can I talk to you about something?"

Ryou nodded slowly, not sure he was going to like what Yugi had to say. Yugi smiled at him kindly, at the same time wondering how to phrase his next question.

Just ask him aibouYami suddenly interrupted, The sooner we get it out of him, the better

"Ryou, does Bakura hit you?"

Ryou's eyes widened suddenly, and his jaw dropped slightly. He shook his head feverishly, at the same time a relieved smile crossing his face. At the same time, he was glad that Bakura was currently sleeping and unable to hear this.

"No!" he replied quickly, "He'd never do anything like that to me. He shouts at me a lot…." he trailed off slightly, before leaping to his yami's defence again, "But that's all he does"

Yugi mirrored his smile, just as the bell went. As the rest of the students starting walking into school, Ryou and Yugi followed. Yugi glanced sideways at Ryou as they made their way to their classroom.

"Sorry… but me and Yami were just concerned…." Yugi began, "That bruise on your arm… Yami's convinced someone gave it to you. Did they?" he added, concerned. Ryou sighed softly, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about it Yugi" he said as they walked into the classroom, "I don't know why everyone is so worked up about it. It's nothing to worry about"

As Yugi took his seat, he glanced over at Joey's empty desk. He wasn't worried about the return of his own homework, but he was concerned that his friend would get yet another detention for being late.

So it's not Bakura then…Yami began, sounding surprised, Unless he's lying… but I don't think he is

/Me either/Yugi replied, glancing over at his albino friend, /I wonder if that's what Joey was talking to him about?/

MaybeYami replied, and Yugi could almost feel him smirking I think he's got other worries on his mind at the moment

The teacher walked in a few minutes later, placing her lap top on the desk and silencing the class. Yugi groaned to himself, and glanced back at Tristan, who just shrugged, looking as confused as he was. They didn't notice, that someone else was also missing from class.

Coughing, Joey pulled himself up off the floor, wincing from the pain. He wiped a hand across his mouth, wiping the blood away from his split lip. Glancing up, he caught sight of himself in the bathroom mirror and flinched. Already there were red marks on his face that promised to turn into yet more bruises. He swore angrily, and limped over to the sink, to get a better look at his injuries.

"S-So that must be the bastard that's….that's hurtin' Ryou" he whispered to himself, wincing as he touched his bleeding nose experimentally, "Damnit…."

"Been fighting again, _mutt_?" a cold voice interrupted his thoughts. Joey groaned to himself as he glanced back to see Kaiba stood there, and wondered if this situation could possibly get any worse.

"What does it look like?!" he replied angrily, turning to face him fully, "An' I thought you were supposed ta be smart"

To his surprise, the CEO actually frowned at his appearance and took a step closer, examining the blonde's injuries with wide eyes.

"What the hell did you do to piss someone off this much?" he added. Joey shrugged, grimacing at the pain that shot through his shoulders.

"I think it's cos I tried ta help Ryou out" Joey replied thoughtfully, "Someone's been layin' into him recently, an' so I told him that I'd sort 'em out for him"

He laughed bitterly, readjusting his weight to he didn't put so much pressure on his bruised ankle.

"He musta overheard me…so got me before I could get him" he added, "Got me from behind… the bastard"

"Who did?" Kaiba replied, a bit more angrily than he intended. Joey groaned, before sinking to his knees, his face paling underneath his bruises. Kaiba dropped into a crouch automatically, watching the blonde's face intensely.

"Who the hell was it, mutt?" he tried again. Joey opened his mouth to speak, before sighing and passing out on the floor. Kaiba watched him for a few seconds before swearing under his breath, and standing back up. He grabbed the smaller boy a little more roughly than intended, and slung him over one shoulder. He could feel the heat from his beaten skin through his clothes, and growled slightly.

"Stupid mutt" he muttered to no-one in particular, stalking out of the bathroom with Joey over his shoulder, scaring a younger boy in the process. He walked past the classroom he and Joey were supposed to be in, catching Ryou's eye by coincidence as he passed by the window.

Seeing Joey unconscious, he felt a stab of guilt, and rested his head in his arms, sighing.

__

I knew he was going to get hurt…. It's all my fault….

He didn't look up until the door opened again, and Kaiba strode in, interrupting the teacher mid rant. She glared at him, folding her arms across her chest.

"I suppose you have a good reason for being over 10 minutes later for school, Kaiba?"

He scowled at her.

"I found Wheeler beaten and unconscious in the toilets" he replied, drawing shocked gasps and whispers from the rest of the class. He then handed her a pile of papers, before going to take his seat at the back of the class. As he passed by Yugi, the smaller boy couldn't help but wonder why Kaiba had gone to the trouble of seeing to Joey instead of just leaving him there.

__

And he gave in his homework as well he suddenly realised. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Kaiba staring at him. He gave him the briefest of nods, to which Yugi responded with a warm smile. Kaiba gave a small smirk, before looking away.

Yugi turned his attention to Ryou, was looked like he was on the verge of tears. Yugi felt a tug of sympathy, and sighed softly.

So whoever's hurting RyouYami began softly, They overheard Joey talking about it to him. And so decided to get him out of the way. We'll have to talk to him about this

/Or Bakura/

Bakura?! Why?!

/I'm sure he'd want to give whoever's hurting Ryou a piece of his mind/ Yugi replied simply, /I just hope that Joe's okay…/

I'm sure he will be aibou. He's strong, remember thatYami replied kindly. Yugi sighed softly, and he could almost feel his yami frown.

Don't worry yourself over this, aibou. He'll be okay

/I hope so/

As soon as the bell had rung for lunch, Yugi, Tristan, Ryou and to their surprise, Kaiba, went to the school office to see how Joey was doing. After much persuasion, the nurse allowed them in to see him mutter something about sending him to the hospital just in case.

He was barely awake, looking over at the gang with narrowed eyes. He forced a smile, which made Yugi and Ryou relax slightly. Tristan however, shook his head, and knelt at his friend's side, the anger evident in his expression.

"Joe, who the hell did this to you?" he growled, "Tell me!"

"Tris…." he replied hoarsely, "Keep…. Ryou away from him…."

"From who?!" Tristan repeated angrily, "Who?"

But Joey was out of it again. Tristan sighed, getting back up to his feet. The nurse came back in, and sighed at the sight of Joey unconscious yet again.

"I'll have to call his parents" she said, turning to her lap top and searching for Joey's file. Tristan stiffened slightly.

"His dads outta town at the moment" he began, "He's staying with me at the moment"

Yugi looked over at Tristan at the obvious lie, but the brunette just nodded to him.

"Could you call your parents then?" the nurse replied after a while, handing the phone over to him, "The rest of you get out of here"

As they walked back outside, the receptionist approached Yugi, panting slightly.

"Yugi Motoh? Your grandfather just called… he said that there's someone at home who wants to see you urgently"

Yugi looked at her, confused. Who would be so important for Yugi to miss school?

"Did he say who?" he asked, his voice sounding distant and far away to him. She nodded, looking down at the notice.

"Your father"

****

TBC… Hopefully sooner than last time XD Thanks for all the lovely and amazing reviews people! All of them much appreciated

Rikainiel

Thanks Heheh official puzzleshipper

Ciu Sune

Thankies Originally I wasn't going to have Ryou being such a big part of the story, but thanks to your review I decided to give him a bigger part Might write that side fic someday… see how I go with this one first XD

Strega

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LMAO, thanks!XD Will continue on from now on… just a little slow on the updates. The others should be quicker

Haku Ishatar

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Thanks! takes cookies I'm not sure where the Y/YY relationship is going… whether to make it shounen ai or not . If it does become that, it'll be the light, fluffy stuff

Chibi G.

****

Thanks!

Rekkaboziegirl

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Thanks! XD We all love our Yugi angst

Star Girl11

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Thankies! gasps THANKIES! glomps

Sir Mocha

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Thanks! Yeah I was thinking about mebbe boosting the rating up I've also decided to continue it now, seeing I've got all these lovely reviews

Lily Maxwell The Dark Angel

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Thanks! We love our cutey angst!

Naeko Kono

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Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to update more often with the new computer nods

fairycake513

LOL, thanks! Yes, I do Especially now!

YugiMutou

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Short, simple and to the point. Thanks

kely

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Thanks! Well, Ryou has got his angst buuut it's not Bakura doing it! nods

Tikaru

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Thanks! I was thinking about that… or him being reminded by someone.. Or something…

Red Roses2-chan

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Thanks! I suck at the spelling I do XD

MotherChowGoddess

Thanks! cackles Who knows? And we'll have to wait another chapter to find out

Darkest Aphelion

Thanks! Will do!

MysticBeauty

Thanks!! is doing so

manganut

Heh, thanks XD

Yugi Mutou

Thanks! The next one will be points to cliffhanger

Ari

Thanks! Yeah… poor tortured bishes XD

hyperunenthusiastic12yearoldonasugarhigh

Thankies! I think it's just general angst fandom… although I admit, Yugi is kinda unlikely to have come from an abusive background. But poor Jou… nods


	4. Chapter Four

****

Hey Long time no see....many many apologies for the late update... just had random crap like exams, work, all this rubbish about choosing a university/career ;

Thank you to everyone whose reviewed, it's you guys that keep me going

His father. The words kept echoing round in his mind, and he closed his eyes, trying hard to keep calm. He could feel Ryou's questioning hand on his arm, and he slowly looked over at him, his heart racing.

(Aibou…..)

"I-I better go then" Yugi began brightly, forcing himself to smile, "Tell Joe I'll try and see him later, okay?"

He ran out of the school entrance just as the burning behind his eyes starting, and his vision filled with tears, began to slowly make his way back to the game shop.

__

It can't be him he thought to himself desperately, _He's dead. He died. He can't be back._

He stopped suddenly as he crashed into someone, and looked up at them tearfully. Yami's kind hearted gaze looked back down at him, before the spirit wrapped his arms around his aibou, holding him close against him.

"I promise you… I won't let him hurt you" he whispered to him gently, "Not again"

"Y-yami" Yugi managed to choke in reply, before burying his face into the spirit's chest, "I don't… I don't want to go home… but… if I don't… then…grandpa…-"

"Maybe you should tell him" Yami replied softly, "It might hurt him…but I think that he would be more hurt if you didn't tell him"

"….but I still have to see….him again…"

"This is what he wants aibou. You're shaking… and you haven't even see him yet. I won't let him touch you… I promise you"

Yugi sighed, before nodding into Yami's chest reluctantly. Yami smiled faintly, reaching down and brushing a stray tear from under Yugi's eye. Yugi blushed slightly, which made Yami smile more.

As they continued walking, Yami draped an arm over Yugi's shoulders, pulling him close to his side. Yugi smiled faintly at this, and closed his eyes briefly.

"I thought he was dead…."

"There must be a reason for him coming back like this" Yami wondered out loud, "It seems very sudden"

Yugi shrugged.

"He did that a lot when I was younger" he explained quietly, "He just used to take off for a week… and then would just come back without any explanation for where he had been or anything"

He sighed again.

"I have to face up to him, Yami" he began softly, looking up at him, "I don't want to be this scared of him… but I am.."

"For a good reason" Yami interrupted gently, "I came as soon as I realised who he was. I wanted to warn you before hand… but I guess I was too late"

"It's okay, Yami" Yugi replied, smiling, "I hope Joe's going to be okay… " he added, changing the subject. Yami nodded, frowning slightly.

"They made a mistake going for Joey. Maybe he can't tell us who it was now, but when he can, he will. He isn't as intimidated as Ryou is"

As they turned the corner, the Kame store came into view. Yugi stiffened, and subconsciously reached for Yami's hand. The taller boy smiled slightly, and gripped Yugi's hand back gently as they carried on walking in silence.

"Yugi!" Solomon exclaimed as his grandson entered the room, Yami close to his side. Slowly, Yugi allowed his gaze to drift past his grandfather to the tall, sturdy man that was sat in the chair behind him. The one with amethyst eyes.

"Can you believe it?" Solomon added excitedly, his gaze travelling from Yugi to his father, "After all these years…"

"…. I thought you were dead" Yugi said quickly. His father smirked slightly, and leant back into his chair.

"It wasn't me in that car" he explained quietly, "I had leant it to someone.. a friend of mine. I was so devastated when I found out what happened... I didn't think I deserved to return" he looked up at Yugi, "Forgive me?"

"I..." Yugi began softly, "I... I don't believe you!" he added suddenly. In the silence that followed, Solomon turned to look at Yugi with a mixture of concern and anger in his eyes.

"Yugi! What's gotten into you?"

"It's okay, dad" his father interrupted smoothly, "I understand. I've left him for so long, and then I just turn up. It must be a shock for him"

He stood up, and made to approach Yugi. Yami frowned at the man, and pulled his light protectively closer to him. The man stopped, and raised an eyebrow.

"And who are you?"

"I am Yami" Yami replied simply. Yugi's father narrowed his eyes, before turning back to Solomon, a forced smile on his face.

"I can see that Yugi obviously needs some time to think" he began pleasantly, "I can go back to my hotel in the meanwhile"

At an obvious loss of what to say, Solomon looked between his grandson and his son, confusion written in his expression. He nodded slowly, watching as his son strode out of the door, glancing briefly at Yugi and Yami as he passed.

Trying to keep himself calm, Solomon turned his attention back to Yugi, who was looking back at him with widened eyes.

"Yugi?" he began softly, stepping towards him, "What's the matter with you?"

To his surprise, the boy burst into tears.

His head pounding, Joey slowly forced his eyes to open. He squinted, trying to make some sense of his blurred surroundings. Some noise slowly started to filter in, and he could hear one voice in particular, a well spoken voice, that spoke pretty quickly and yet still managed to make sense and not stumble over his words.

"....he took quite a beating.... but from examining him, it seems like he gets into fights a lot. He should recover pretty quickly, seeing as his body's used to it. He's going to have quite a few bruises although, and he's broken two ribs. He'll have to take it easy for a while. We'll need to keep him in for a few days"

Jou groaned.

"No way..." he muttered, his voice hoarse. Seconds later Tristan's relieved face appeared over him, shock in his eyes.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed needlessly, before glaring at the blond, "You scared me half to death you idiot!"

"....sorry" Joey slurred, struggling to bring everything back into focus, "I didn't ask ta get beaten up ya know"

"Who was it?" Tristan interrupted darkly, "C'mon Joey.. I can't protect Ryou unless you say who it was"

".....Ushio" he replied hoarsely, before his eyes widened suddenly, his vision clearing, "What ya doin' here then? You get out there an' kick that bastards ass!"

Tristan nodding, rising from his seat. His face paled suddenly.

"Joey... you can't stay with us" he apologised, "My aunt's staying with us and the old man says that we can't have anyone else staying with us. He's sorry, but that's just how it goes-"

"Don't worry Tris, I know I'm not exactly one of his favourite people" the blonde replied casually, "Don't worry 'bout me. I'll be fine an' dandy when I get outta here"

Tristan was silent for a while. Joey shrugged, albeit painfully, and gave him a sharp glare.

"Look, go protect Ryou, awright? I'll be fine here... details can wait til later. Go!" he added, smirking. Tristan just shook his head, laughing slightly.

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going" he protested, heading towards the door, "Besides, I think there's someone else who wants to see you"

As he left, Joey watched the doorway confused. Yugi? No, he would have said.. same for Ryou. He looked up and was taken aback when he saw an all too familiar brunette watching him with ice blue eyes. He gave the blonde a smirk.

The doctor, who was about to speak, looked at the teen with undisguised respect.

"Seeing you have a visitor, I'll come back and check on you later" he told the blond quickly, before slowly sliding past Kaiba's glare, "Don't over exert yourself Mr Wheeler"

Joey shook his head in disbelief as the doctor walked out of the room. Kaiba noticed this, before walking into the room himself, taking the seat that Tristan had just vacated. Joey glanced sideways at him.

"Come ta laugh at my pain?"

Kaiba just glared back at him, before shaking his head.

"Honestly Wheeler, you're forgetting who dragged you out of there in the first place" he replied coolly, "And no, I didn't actually"

Joey sighed, rubbing his eyes. As much as he hated to admit it.. Kaiba was right. He had saved his hide back there. He glanced back over at the other, giving him a lop sided smile.

"Thanks... an' you'd be cranky too if ya jus' had the crap beaten outta ya"

Kaiba's eyes glinted momentarily in brief amusement, before he glanced down at the injuries the blond had sustained. He frowned slightly.

"You didn't just get those injuries from today" he muttered thoughtfully. Jou flinched slightly, before turning away.

"I get inta fights a lot" he replied offhand. He forced himself to sit up, grimacing slightly, "It's nothin'"

Kaiba snorted.

"Yeah it looks like nothing," he repeated sarcastically, "Even a mutt like you can't get into that many fights."

Jou whipped his head back round to glare at him.

"Meanin'?"

"Meaning that you're not telling the truth" he replied simply, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. Joey felt his blood run cold, what if Kaiba actually knew about his old man... but how could he? And why would he care anyway?

"So Ushio's the bastard hurtin' Ryou" he began after a while, eager to change the subject and break the uncomfortable silence at the same time, "But I can't think why he'd want to hurt him"

"Ushio..." Kaiba repeated coldly, "Is a coward. He preys on those weaker than himself as he can't face those equal to him or higher"

He glanced sideways at the blond, his eyes narrowed.

"He attacked you from behind and he goes after someone who can't physically hit back, and is so timid he won't seek help. But that is not what we were discussing"

"An' what was that?"

"You know who I'm talking about"

Joey sighed, his entire body flooded with pain. The last thing he want to do was talk about his old man with Kaiba, if that was what he was getting at anyway. All he wanted to do was sleep, and his ribs were really starting to ache.

He opened his mouth to tell Kaiba to, in a word, get lost, but Kaiba beat him to it.

"...get some rest, pup" he smirked as he rose from the chair, "Remember what the doctor said?"

Joey blinked.

"What do you care anyways?"

Kaiba stopped just before the doorway, turning and pinning the blonde with his icy gaze.

"...no-one hurts my puppy and gets away with it" he replied simply, smirking. As Joey watched open mouthed, he turned and left the room.


	5. Chapter Five

Hey... after receiving all those death threats... thought I should update XD Wow... people out there actually LIKE this? Wow.. thank you so much for all of the nice reviews! And sorry for the late ass update! I'm such a loser But hey, here it is. A little on the short side, but at least I think I know where this is going now.

Oh and seeing as this has banned the slashes...

;Denotes Yami to Hikari speak;

#Denotes Hikari to Yami speak#

Ryou shivered to himself as he kept his head titled against the sudden downpour of rain that had started up just as school had ended. Usually he would have walked home with Yugi or Joey, but seeing as Yugi was at home already and Joey was at the hospital... he would have to brave this alone.

Hoping feverishly that he would make it home before a certain person discovered that he walking alone and unprotected, the white haired boy started walking faster, his heart racing. He couldn't hear anything other than the pattering of rain around him, and was worried that the gentle sound would be blocking out any sounds of someone's approach.

He was deeply worried about his two friends. He wasn't sure why Yugi was so upset by his father's return, but didn't like to see him that way at any rate. And Joey... Ryou felt a small pang of guilt. Joey had been sent to hospital trying to protect him, which meant that it was his fault.

;Wheeler's in hospital?;

Ryou blinked, and shivered slightly against the rain before answering Bakura.

_#Yes.# _he replied softly, _#He got beaten up. Really bad#_

"By the same person that hurts you," Bakura suddenly stated, materialising in front of Ryou. The smaller boy stared at him, open mouthed, unable to think of a response to that. Feeling his shoulders shake with sudden emotion, he threw himself at his yami.

Bakura had been expecting this, and with a small sigh held his arms out for Ryou, before holding him close against his chest. Feeling the younger boy shake against him, Bakura tightened his hold, ignoring the rain for the moment.

"Stupid hikari... " he hissed lowly, "Why didn't you tell me!"

"Because... I didn't want you to get hurt," Ryou whispered back slowly, his words murmured from where he was pressed against his yami's shoulder, "I didn't want anyone to get hurt... and now Joey's in the hospital...-"

"Wheeler is probably the only one of your stupid friends who could withstand such a beating, think of it that way," Bakura interrupted harshly, "If it had been the pharaoh's brat, for example then this would be a lot worse"

Ryou fell silent, too overcome at that moment to say anything more, knowing that Bakura was right. Sure he was overcome with worry for his blond haired friend that had tried to save him, but when it came down to it, Joey did have the most experience in fighting and would of stood a much better chance than the rest of them.

Bakura noted Ryou's quietness with an impatient sigh, and slowly started to lead his hikari back home, an arm held around his shoulders protectively.

* * *

It had taken quite a while to calm Yugi down, but after a long while, he was finally content to be leant into Yami's shoulder, his face buried and hidden from his grandfather. The old man was watching his grandson in concern, occasionally raising amethyst eyes to Yami in question, to which the spirit would shake his head. 

"Yugi," Solomon began gently after the small boy's sobbing had ceased, "Please... tell me what the matter is. Perhaps I can help?"

"..he...," the boy stuttered softly, warm tears still leaking out of his eyes as he pulled himself away from Yami's shoulder, "I... d-don't want him to be back."

"...your father?" Solomon repeated in evident confusion, "But.. why not? Isn't it a relief to know that he did not die all those years ago? Are you not happy to have a father again?"

"No!" Yugi replied forcefully, wiping the fresh tears away with the back of his hand, "I... I wish that he was dead! I don't want him to be back! I don't want be hurt again!"

"Hurt? From his death?"

"No!" Yugi stood up, trying to meet his grandfather face to face, "He.. he hurt me, grandpa! He... he used to hurt me... w-when he got angry..." he trailed off, falling silent at the look on the old man's face. Yami rose to stand quietly at Yugi's side, offering him comfort in his time of need.

"What Yugi says is true, " he added softly, "I have seen his scars."

"Scars?" Solomon repeated weakly, his gaze fixated upon Yugi, "Yugi.. please. Let me see..."

Yugi shivered, before glancing up to his yami, who nodded solemnly in response. Sighing softly, Yugi turned his back on his grandfather, just like he had done with Yami only yesterday, and began to unbutton his shirt. Solomon looked on silently, his eyes widening noticeably as his grandson's scarred back came into view.

"Yugi..." he whispered softly, shaking his head, "What did you not say anything before now?"

Yugi turned back to face him, more tears falling onto his pale cheeks, shaking his head as he struggling to form words between the oncoming sobs.

"...because I thought that you loved him," he whispered back, "I didn't want to ruin your memory of him."

"Memory of who?"

Yugi froze, and couldn't bring himself to turn around and see the source of the voice. Solomon let his gaze drift past his grandson, those eyes narrowing significantly when they fell upon the owner of the voice. Yami turned back slightly to glance at the intruder, before placing an arm protectively around Yugi.

His father was stood there, an insane grin lighting his features as he held a gun out towards the trio. This grin increased when he saw the look on Solomon's face, and he threw his head back a little, laughing.

"Well then," he began pleasantly, "I assume that he will be going to tell you WHY I did that to him. Which means that I'm afraid you will all have to come with me."

"And if we don't?" Yami growled, crimson eyes glowering dangerously at the older man. Yugi's father laughed again, before shaking his head slowly, curling a finger around the trigger of the gun.

"You all die," he replied simply, "I have a van waiting outside. You are all to get into it quietly and without a fuss. Otherwise I will shoot you. Understand?"

"But... why?" Solomon suddenly stammered, his eyes wide with fear as he looked over at his son, "What have we ever done to you to warrant this?"

"Him," was the cold reply, and the gun was jerked towards the motionless Yugi, "He knows something that he should never utter. I do not trust him to tell. I thought I taught him not to say anything, he knew of his punishment if he did. And now, thanks to his selfishness, all three of you will be coming with me."

* * *

Kaiba sighed, and removed his hands from the keyboard to rest under his chin for what must of been the fifth time that night. Despite all the figures and letters dancing across the black screen, he couldn't stop himself from seeing the image of Joey lying in that bed, looking so... well so non-Joey like. 

Actually, he paused, it wasn't so odd to see the other with bruises and cuts on him. As did most people, he had always assumed that it was just from his street fights that he boasted about constantly. But, he frowned slightly, remembering the blond boy's reaction when he had mentioned them. Was there really something deeper at work here?

It was more HOW the boy acted. Sure, he acted like the same old Joey, but with less spark. He was lying flat out on that bed, exhausted from the combination of the drugs and the pain. The normal Joey would be fighting it, insisting that he was fine and for everyone to leave him alone. But the Joey he had left lying there, he was even too tired to tell them to do that.

And, why did he even care? This was Joey Wheeler, that dumb annoying mutt who annoyed him constantly. No, he suddenly realised, this was Joey Wheeler, someone who was eerily like himself in many ways. Someone who was feeling pain that he could so easily relate to.

"...stupid mutt," he sighed, his tone not unkind, "I bet if you knew that you were distracting me from work outside of school, you would be ecstatic."

He paused, before smirking slightly and shaking his head, raising his long fingers above the keyboard to start working again.

"You would like it even better if you knew I was talking to myself about you as well..."


End file.
